Monthly Archives: July 2011

Recently a prospective student of the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan (CBSM) raised this question. She noticed the inclusion of some books by Protestants on our reading list and was concerned. What follows is my personal response, which has benefited from the comments of fellow board members Fr. John Riccardo and Deacon Jack Gardner.

The question is a very legitimate one, since the lens through which one reads the Scriptures does significantly affect one’s interpretation. A Catholic, an Evangelical, a Jew, a liberal Protestant, a Jehovah’s Witness, a secular academic, and an atheist, read and interpret the Bible very differently! In the past (and sometimes in the present) scholars have made excessive claims to objectivity about their reading of Scripture. But everyone has beliefs that influence their interpretation.

From The Gospel of Matthew by Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri, commenting on Matthew 14:15-19:

Spectacular though it was, the multiplication of the loaves was not an unprecedented event. Similar miracles involving food appear in the Old Testament. One thinks of the manna that rained down from heaven to feed the Israelites in the wilderness (Exod 16:4–21). So too Elijah, when he stayed with a poor widow of Zarephath, caused her nearly empty jar of meal and her depleted cruse of oil to supply the household with food throughout an extended famine (1 Kings 17:8–16). Most relevant here is the miracle of Elijah’s successor, Elisha, who multiplied twenty loaves for one hundred men and still had some left over (2 Kings 4:42–44). Against this background, Christ’s miracle shows that he wields a power even greater than that of the prophets of Israel, for he started with fewer loaves than Elisha and fed a vastly larger crowd!

From The Gospel of Matthew by Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri, commenting on Matthew 13:45-46:

The pearl of great price parable offers a second illustration of urgency in responding to the kingdom. Though very small, pearls were considered more valuable than gold. As in the previous parable, the kingdom radically reorients one’s life. The one who discovers the kingdom joyfully gives up things he treasured in the past in order to obtain it, like a merchant whofinds a priceless pearl and wisely sells all that he has and buys it. The merchant reflects Jesus’ first disciples, who left everything to follow Jesus (4:20, 22), and he beckons us also to prioritize the kingdom above everything else.

From The Gospel of Matthew by Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri, commenting on Matthew 13:31-32:

The parable of the mustard seed builds on the previous one, showing that despite the enemy’s opposition to the kingdom, the harvest will yield tremendous results. . . . From this tiny seed, a great bush emerges. Jesus describes it as becoming so big that birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches—which recalls an Old Testament description of a great kingdom that gathers many nations as a large tree gathers birds who nest on its branches (Ezek 31:2–13; Dan 4:17–18). In particular, Ezekiel foretold that Israel would gather the nations like a mighty cedar that shelters the birds of the air (Ezek 17:22–24). Jesus uses this parable to show how his kingdom movement, despite its small beginnings, will become like the prophetic large tree gathering birds, fulfilling Israel’s mission to the nations as Ezek 17 foretold.

By now everyone knows that a jury in Orlando has found Casey Anthony “Not Guilty” of murdering her two-year old daughter. Meanwhile many of the Catholic faithful are discovering that, according to the religious community to which he belongs, the charismatic Fr. Corapi is indeed guilty of many of the charges leveled against him.

What does Scripture say to us about these two cases? First as regards Fr. Corapi, it teaches that the possession of great and genuine charisms, whether those distributed by the Spirit or those that come through the sacrament of orders, are no proof of the spiritual standing of the person who exercises those gifts.

As a priest and evangelist, God worked powerfully through Fr. Corapi (see this message from some whose lives have been touched), even though his personal life was gravely out of order. But this does not contradict Jesus teaching:

Matthew 7:20-23 20 So by their fruits you will know them. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, 1 but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ 23 Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. 1 Depart from me, you evildoers.’

Jesus does not dispute that such individuals truly prophesied in his name or truly cast out demons. They did! According to Jesus, these are not the fruits by which we can recognize true prophets. Rather, we are to look for those “who do the will of my Father in heaven,” i.e., those whose personal lives are marked by holiness, by obedience to God’s word (see the verses that immediately follow, 24-27).

All charisms, including sacred orders, are given to benefit others, to benefit the Church; they will only benefit those who possess them if they live in obedience to their Lord.

So, do we simply condemn Fr. Corapi as a false prophet and evildoer? By no means! His story isn’t over yet. Remember David’s sin and repentance (2 Sam 11-12; Ps 51). Remember Samson’s foolishness and the final act by which he delivered God’s people (Jdg 16:23-30).

I believe Fr. Corapi has good intentions, but is weak and wounded by sin, like the rest of us. In hindsight it seems clear that he had not overcome his previous addictions, that like most addicts he needs lifelong practice of the Twelve Steps, and that he needed more, not less, community life on account of his public ministry. Let’s pray for him that he may humble himself, repent, and receive the help he needs to bear truly good fruit, the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23), and so be saved and help to save others.

Let’s pray for all those who benefited from Christ’s grace at work in and through Fr. Corapi, that they may not stumble on account for Fr. Corapi’s fall, but remain faithful to Christ, the true source of the grace they received.

A brief thought related to the Casey Anthony decision.

I am reading through Isaiah and in particular, a section that speaks of God’s judgment at the end of history (Isa 24-27). Yesterday I happened on this verse:

Isaiah 26:21 See, the LORD goes forth from his place, to punish the wickedness of the earth’s inhabitants; The earth will reveal the blood upon her, and no longer conceal her slain.

In other words, in the long run no one ever gets away with murder. The Torah is very insistent on how seriously God takes murder (see Gen 4:10, 9:6; Num 35:33; Deut 19:10-13; 21:1-9). The prophets through to the book of Revelation (18:24) confirm that God will redress this wrong.

In fact, our legal system’s principle of the presumption of innocence comes from the Bible. In all serious cases and especially in capital cases (and in regard to accusations against presbyters, i.e., priests), both the Old and New Testament insist that “two or three witnesses” are necessary to convict and punish a person for wrongdoing (see Deut 17:6; 19:15; Matt 18:16; 2 Cor 13:1; 1 Tim 5:19).

This is a very high standard of evidence. In the world of today one could posit that forensic, circumstantial, or other kinds of evidence could equal the weight of two eyewitnesses, although that would need to be clear. If anything, this suggests that American jurisprudence requires less stringent evidence of wrongdoing than does biblical law.

The reality is that people commit many serious crimes for which the biblical standard of evidence can never be met. Thus, in order to protect the innocent from false condemnation, God’s law permits many guilty people to go scot free and unpunished in this life.

But that is because God sees things from a longer range perspective, as we should. Perfect justice will be done in God’s court, but not until then. No one should allow himself or herself to imagine their wrongdoing will go unpunished, because no human being knows or can prove it, or that their good deeds will go unrewarded. Let us prepare ourselves and our friends, neighbors, and children for “the day when… God will judge people’s hidden works through Christ Jesus” (Rom 2:16; 2:5-8).

The best preparation for everyone is faith and conversion, since God is merciful toward those who turn to him (1 John 1:7-9).

From The Gospel of Matthew by Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri, commenting on Matthew 13:4-17:

See and hear are key words in this section.It is not enough to see and hear Christ’s words physically. One must follow him.Many see his miracles and hear his teaching, but still refuse to follow him. In contrast, Jesus’ disciples have eyes and ears that are blessed—a word recalling the beatitudes that showcase the fortunate situation of those who follow Christ. The disciples are blessed because they truly see, hear, and understand. They respond from the heart to Christ’s message, follow him, and are given explanations that help them understand the meaning of the parables.